Saturday, December 27, 2014

Last year I received a letter in the
mail from the Washington D.C DMV claiming I was speeding. As you can see
it was one of those Photo-Enforced Speeding Tickets and they had
multiple pictures of my CAR. I knew better to just submit and pay a fine
like the majority of people do in this country, unfortunately. I am in
the habit of not taking “plea deals”,
and I am always in the habit of fighting my tickets and NOT pre-paying
them so I don’t have to go to court – like many folks do. I just about
always record my interactions with the police, whether it’s a traffic
stop or not, that way it keeps the entire situation objective,
transparent and I can hold the public servant accountable if he/ she violates my rights.
So I got this letter in the mail:
Front:
Back: IMG_0003.pdf
I can’t recall why I got the next letter, but I think it was because I didn’t respond promptly enough.
Front:
Back:
As you can see these criminals issuing these tickets are hoping that
the people will just get scared and pay, or not want to waste their time
with it. However the government has to provide evidence that it was
actually ME driving, it’s their burden of proof. Just because they got
pictures of my car doesn’t mean I was driving. So, in response to the
first letter, I mailed them back the following letter (copied and
pasted):

To Whom it May Concern,
I received a letter claiming I committed a violation of a speeding
law in the District of Columbia on 04/21/2012. As per the instructions, I
am writing to plead ‘not guilty’ to this charge. Although this option
is said to result in this matter going to court; it is my suggestion
that the charges simply be dropped. This suggestion comes out of respect
for tax payers, and my request that their hard earned money not be
wasted in such proceedings. As there is no evidence of my involvement
with this alleged ‘crime’, as well as the fact that I am not granted my
6th amendment right to face my ‘accuser’ (a camera); I see no way the
government could prove my guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. I also see
find no legal requirement for me to implicate someone else in this
process, as it is the government’s responsibility to prove a person’s
guilt. It is also my 5th amendment right to remain silent on the matter.
If it is the government’s decision to move forward in this matter, I
would request copies of any evidence the prosecution may have of my
involvement in the “offense”; as well as, all maintenance records for
the camera(s) involved.
Sincerely,
Nathan Cox
United States Army Veteran

HUGE thanks to super activist Meg McLain.
I was slammed with work and was about to miss the deadline to mail the
rebuttal letter in. She was my roommate at the time, I told her about
how I needed it to read and she came up with a fantastic piece. I HIGHLY
recommend Meg for any of your Graphic Design or Video Animation needs –
She’s stellar!
After sending that letter I received this post card:
MANY months later (much more than 6 months), just the other day I get this post card showing that the ticket is DISMISSED.
Just the other day (A year later) I get this post card:
So PLEASE, NEVER EVER opt to pay these Photo Enforced Speeding AND
Red Light tickets! You do NOT have to incriminate yourself OR implicate
anyone else. It’s the government’s responsibility to provide evidence
that YOU were the person driving, don’t help them in their
“investigation”. ALWAYS go to court and fight your tickets, if there is
NO VICTIM.. there is NO CRIME

Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/effectively-beat-red-light-camera-ticket/#hBMtCJKu1HVau6xb.99